IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 21 Rutgers concluded its Big Ten road trip on Sunday facing the third-ranked team in the nation, falling 1-0 at the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Facing the team that entered the weekend with the second-best goals-against-average in the nation, RU was unable to generate a goal. The Scarlet Knights held Iowa far below their season scoring average, as the Hawkeyes entered averaging 3.56 goals-per-game (fifth nationally) and scored just once to earn the win.

The game was fairly evenly contested throughout. Iowa had slim margins in the statistical categories, with slight leads in shots (9-7) and penalty corners (4-3). Sophia Howard made four saves in goal for RU.

Iowa now holds a 10-3-1 record in the lifetime series between the two programs. The Hawkeyes were the only Big Ten team to go unbeaten against RU last season as the Scarlet Knights advanced to win the program's historic Big Ten Tournament title.

Iowa's goal came just 12:17 into the contest, as a pass to the right side of the field on a break gave Leah Zellner room to uncork a shot into the net. The Scarlet Knights had great initial pressure on the net, forcing the home team to make four saves in the opening quarter. The Hawkeyes clung to that lead for the next 48 minutes to ensure the 1-0 win.

Rutgers is back at home next weekend for a single contest. The Scarlet Knights will host the current No. 2 ranked and defending national champion Northwestern Wildcats, a 12 pm contest. As part of the Title IX 50^th anniversary recognition weekend, RU will host a pregame brunch and postgame BBQ for letterwinners.

The game against No. 3 Iowa marked the first of five straight contests against ranked foes. Following the game versus No. 2 Northwestern, RU will face No. 4 Maryland, No. 13 Syracuse and No. 6 Penn State in succession.